At Pain Of
by Shooting Star Sky Saint
Summary: Trisha looked Ed in the eyes, worry suspended into her emerald orbs, while Ed was crying heavily. "I-It hurts... it hurts, Mom... it hu-hurts..." Disease Fic. AU.


**_At Pain Of_**

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_By: Shooting Star Sky Saint_

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It was a fact that the disease was definitely hereditary. However, from which parent the abnormal gene came from was undetermined.

In the end, Edward decided to blame his dad. It was an easy decision.

* * *

Ed was only six when the signs of his condition started to show. It first started as an itch on his back. Edward begged Al to help him scratch all over his back when it was nighttime instead of going to sleep.

And during the day, Ed preferred to position himself at the warmth of his mother. He begged her, which wasn't even needed, to scratch his irritating skin for hours. She always did. This lasted for a month.

After that time, Trisha decided to get a doctor. However, this did not go as well as Trisha had hoped. The doctor waved Ed's irritation off as allergies to something in the house but Trisha knew better than that. "I'm going to be okay, right Mom?" Ed had asked her, his little fingers curled in his shirt to relieve the itching.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, sweetie," Trisha smiled. "Let's get you in the bath with your favorite toys. How does that sound?" Ed had giggled so much with joy that he bragged to Al about it.

Poor Alphonse.

Edward ended up making him cry.

A week later, the itching spread all over Ed's body. Most of the time he was found with his hands somewhere on his body moving furiously even when his still developing muscles would ache from fatigue. From time to time, when Winry would come over to play, Ed would ask her to help scratch his shoulders. She always said no after exclaiming, "Ewwwwww!"

Ed was so embarrassed on that day but Al was there with him so he felt much better. Eventually.

Trisha started to worry again when she spotted something very amiss on her son's skin. Besides his normally red, irritated and dead skin flaking off his body, Trisha actually noticed something green on Ed's neck. The older Elric quickly noticed his mother's surprised gaze and immediately hid the green with his shirt. When Trisha asked to see what that blur of green was, Ed bolted out the door. He didn't get far because he unfortunately ran into Mr. Rockbell. Trisha had call upon him to help her with Ed's skin problems. The older man safetly secured Ed and brought him back into the house. To get Ed to stay still, Trisha promised Ed an apple pie after the examination. Ed happily agreed.

"How long has he been like this?" Mr. Rockbell asked.

"Three months now. The last doctor said it was just allergies but... look," she motioned at Ed's neck. The young boy, in turn, flinched.

"Don't be mad, mom..." Ed whimpered.

Trisha bent down and wrapped her arms around Edward. "I could never be mad at you." She said gently. "Edward, honey, can you please show me and Mr. Rockbell your neck."

Ed faltered but smiled shyly and tilted his head to the side. "Alright, but don't tell Al because he'll get jealous."

Trisha nearly gasped but stopped herself at the last minute. Thank God she did, because Ed would surely think something was wrong with him.

Not like there obviously wasn't.

Mr. Rockbell stared, fascinated but horrified, at the boy's neck. What that green speck was was not something insignificant. It was a scale. A gleaming, malicious green scale embedded into Ed's skin. But... it was all around his neck. God, it was everywhere. Replacing the beautiful skin he use to have with sickeningly too green rough scales, all through Ed was giggling.

Edward grinned happily. "I'm becoming a super hero with cool reptilian powers!" He suddenly lowered his voice, eyes darting from left to right, and whispered, "But don't tell Al. Ser-seriasly. I really don't wanna make him jealous and... a hero's gotta protect people. Keep a sacred identity. You know?"

Trisha watched as her son smiled a smile of such agonizing innocence. Ed continued to scratch around his body. He thought he was turning into a hero with powers. With reptilian powers? Trisha was immediately distressed.

"Yes. I get it," Mr. Rockbell suddenly said enthusiastically. "A secret identity. You'll need one for the dire times that are coming!"

Edward nodded vigorously, that grin swelling with even more happiness. Trisha looked at the doctor with immediate contempt. How-

"And for a secret identity to work, you can't tell anyone else outside of this room." Trisha gaped. "Not Al. Not Winry. Not Granny Pinako. Not Winry's mother. None of your friends. Not the teachers. No one in Resembool. Not even Den."

"Not even... an adult?"

"Especially an adult!" Mr. Rockbell exclaimed, waving his hands over his head. "Some adults will turn out to be spies for the villian!"

Edward suddenly frowned, his little brows burrowed and his golden eyes blazed with determination. "I won't! No adults gonna hurt Al, me, or mom!"

"That's great." And the session ended there. Ed walked back into the living room with his neck covered to play with Al. Trisha was in the kitchen, baking the promised apple pie for Edward and Alphonse. Mr. Rockbell was by her side, whispering in a low voice.

"He's a very cheerful boy," he smiled at the worried mother.

Trisha nodded. "I'm happy for him. He can always manage to smile no matter what," she sighed, a sad grin resting on her face. "What is going on with my son, Mr. Rockbell?"

At this, the doctor leaned against the counter and looked Trisha straight in the eyes. "Edward doesn't have an allergy to anything in his life right now to cause this outbreak. You said he hasn't been sick since this started?" Trisha nodded.

"That was one bright side, wasn't it?" She was looking at the doctor but said it so quietly as if to reassure herself.

The doctor shook his head sadly. "Actually, with Edward never catching sick during the course of his condition, this just means that the disease isn't linked to his autoimmune system. This means that Ed's cells, blood, and glands are perfectly normal. Edward is really just as healthy as Alphonse, even more so!" Mr. Rockbell sighed terribly as he ran his hand through his hair. "This just means I have nothing to diagnose, Mrs. Elric."

Trisha cringed a bit but occupied her woes with putting the unbaked pie into the stove. "Edward has a skin disorder of some sort but, I'm sorry that's all I can give you."

Trisha smiled sadly. "You did more than any other doctor, thank you very much for that." Mr. Rockbell smiled back.

He stood up from his seat and said, "Don't worry about paying Trisha, ever. And don't hesitate to call for me or my wife if Edward's condition starts to get out of hand. Oh, and notice for anything that he could do that would seem unusual."

Trisha saw Mr. Rockbell out the door and thanked him again before shutting the door. She stayed there for a few moments. Her hand resting on the doorknob's cool metal and her forehead leaning against the curved wood. Trisha breathed aloud just to make sure she knew she was in control of her body. The only problem she was able to - and had to - gain a hold on.

"Mom! Is the pie ready yet?" Trisha pushed herself away from the door. Edward ran up to her, a bright smile on his face. Trisha's eyes flashed to the flesh of green surrounding Ed's neck and then to his little fingers tangled in his shirt, scratching at his stomach.

"Not yet, sweetie. Almost."

* * *

Days later, the condition grew to be an existence in the Elric household.

Edward frowned heavily. He scratched harder at his stomach, hands digging further and further into his flesh but the cries of tearing fabric screeching in pain gained the most attention from both mother and son. Ed grunted loudly and looked up at his mother, a look of loss bringing his brows and mouth down. "M-Mom. Can you... scratch me? It's itchier than usual on my tummy..."

Ed's eyes pleaded with his mother. He groaned again and wriggled in place, scowling as he dug harder into the flesh of his stomach. Ed craned forward, fully exposing his neck and the scales, they smirked maliciously greenly up at Trisha. Ed groaned louder in relief as he slipped his hand under his shredded shirt and clawed heavily against his skin. It felt good. That's all Ed wanted, to relieve the loud itch on his stomach. He felt itchy on his back too but his tummy was more important at the moment. Ed moaned as his skin trembled under stress, the mix of pain and pleasure from him scratching nearly burned out his body.

As Trisha watched her son scratch wildly, she couldn't help but feel mildly uncomfortable. Edward was practically clawing his flesh off. She could so easily see the patches of red damaging his skin, bleeding and tearing away.

"M-Mom..." Trisha looked down at Edward. His eyes weren't on her but on the floor, and his shoulders trembled greatly. His little voice quaked as he continued to scratch and scratch but struggled to speak with sniffles antagonizing his throat. "I-I don't w-wanna be a-a hero an-anymore..."

Ed tore harder into his flesh. Too hard and so much that Trisha could start to see blood dripping down his red stomach. Trisha immediately tore her son's hands away from his stomach to keep him from making further damage. Trisha looked Ed in the eyes, worry suspended into her emerald orbs, while Ed was crying heavily. "I-It hurts... it hurts, Mom... _it hu-hurts_..."

His small hands struggled in Trisha's grip, begging to scratch at his irritated flesh. It hurt so much when the itch wasn't relieved. A dangerous throbbing ached on Ed's stomach making him whimper and cry out. The ache leaked deeper into his insides and set his body on fire. Ed whimpered and sniffled in agony. He wanted the pain to stop so much. Ed didn't know he could hurt so much and he cried even harder realizing it.

"Ed...?"

Trisha looked behind Ed to find Al. He was staring at his brother with eyes so confused and benevolent. Trisha carefully picked Edward up, his chin rested on her shoulder as he sniffled and dripped his running fluids on her dress. Trisha lightly patted Ed's back. She eased her hand up and down his back and made little circles movements to soothe her crying child.

Trisha looked from Al, who was completely in the dark of the situation, and then to Edward, who had not eased in his crying or scratching. And at the tender age of six and five years old, things only got worse.

* * *

At the age of nine, Edward's body had become completely covered in scales. His legs, hips, crotch, stomach, arms, hands, everything below his neck was decorated a heavy rough green. Except for his face. The only place where a few scales had managed to vacate on his cheeks but no where else. What little evidence he had of his original skin color was left alone on his young face. The itching had long gone from Ed's body and was nowadays primarily focused on his head. Ed was always scratching in his hair, on his face, behind his ears, or on the pale scales on his cheeks.

"Brother, do you want me to help?" Al would ask with his tiny voice. Ed would always grumble a 'no' to his little brother and continue to scratch irritably at his face. Ed hardly minded the aches nowadays. He had gotten use to the itching and his abnormal appearance, but the people of Resembool didn't.

Over the years, residents of the small country town distanced themselves from the Elric family. Some tended to avoid even Trisha when she was out shopping or Al when he was playing near the river alone. And Edward, oh they avoided him like the plague. And that's what they thought he was, a walking sickness.

Ed could sometimes hear them talk when they weren't aware of his presence. They said things, dangerous things about him. They called him names, cursed him, but Ed always fought back against the insults. The second he glared at them, his accusers cowered in their scaly boots and quieted.

Well, _some_ of them.

Edward bitterly remembered a day where a boy his age actually opened his mouth to him. Ed was prepared to retort. By the Maker, he learned on his own from his short years of life that he _had_ to fight back. Both him and boy were throwing hot blood at each other, their voices boiled too loud for their ages. Then, the boy said the phrase Edward remembered clearly to this day. His words were adopted by ignorance, but Edward felt them soak into his immature mind. Even now, they echoed in him, urging the pulsing of his scales and throbbing his misshapen sharp nails:

"You shouldnt even be alive. You're ugly and a terror. We should put you down. And the rest of your family too, just in case they caught whatever you-"

Edward was seeing raging red after that. He jumped the boy, his sharpened nails so use to scratching his skin cut through the boy's flesh so easily. All the while, Edward was roaring in fury. Not screaming. Not crying. But _roaring_, a violent vocal that should never have come from his throat at such a young age.

It took two adults and three bloody bruises to calm the raging nine year old.

And from that moment on, Edward Elric was seen as more of a sinful menace than people thought. The boy was just seen clawing at his skin every second of every minute for the past five years; at school, at home, on a walk. Even at the funeral for the Rockbells, Edward was seen withering in his place and vibrating his hands on different parts of his body. Some people felt bad for him, he always looked like he was in pain of some aliment; his eyes were shut the majority of the time when scratching.

Then there were his scales.

The boy was clearly a sin devised by the enemy of the Maker. No human child could develop animal features on their bodies. It was just sickening, repulsive, and a sign from the Heavens that evil was at work in their little countryside town. The people of Resembool grew up mentally to hate, or avoid, or detest, or ignore, or pity Edward Elric.

While Edward...

_Oh Edward_...

He grew up physically stronger in age, and mentally to acknowledge, and absorb, and recognize, and decide, and wonder about the nature of the environment around him. And Edward agreed, with his tiny scale hands balled into furious fists, to despise everyone around who did not love him.

And for a long time, Edward was fine with that ideology.

Until the day the sun died and a basket of fruits fell from grace and onto the floor to rot.


End file.
